Head injury no excuse for murder/suicide

We shouldn’t speculate that a brain injury drove NFL player Jovan Belcher’s decision to kill himself and his girlfriend, says Amanda Marcotte in Slate. Domestic violence is a complex problem, she says, and almost always involves the abuser’s desire for complete control over his partner.

Jay Jochnowitz

4 Responses

The guy was a selfish, womanizing egomaniac. Should the NFL look more closely into traumatic brain injuries and its consequences? No doubt about it. Would he have killed her had there been no gun? Hard to say, and impossible to know for sure. What is most unsettling, however, is the cottage industry of narrow special interests that jump on such tragedies to market their pet causes.

This story isn’t all about guns, nor is it all about brain injuries. It’s pretty much all about a guy who thought he was God. What can society do about that?

Of course we should speculate: head injuries may well be at the root cause of this and other similar family traumas. In this particular case it may turn out not to be the deciding factor, but mentioning the side effects of the long-term consequences of playing football is a learning opportunity. Who knows? It may result in fewer kids in Pop Warner and high school and college playing this stupid “game.” As someone recently pointed out, watching this idiocy is like watching a car crash every week.